“Dryland Farming”
What
is Dryland Farming?
Dryland Farming alludes to the cultivation of crops
completely beneath natural precipitation without a water system. It is a form
of subsistence cultivating within the districts where the shortfall of the soil
dampness impedes the development of water expending crops like rice (Oryza
sativa), sugarcane, etc. Dryland regions are characterized by low and sporadic
precipitation and no guaranteed water system facilities. Dryland horticulture
is imperative for the economy as most of the coarse grain crops, beats,
oilseeds, and crude cotton are developed on these lands. Dryland ranges get
precipitation between 500 and 1200 mm.
Types
of Dryland Agriculture
Depending on the sum of precipitation received, dryland
farming has been assembled into three categories:
1)
Dry cultivating
It is the production of crops without irrigation in zones
where yearly precipitation is less than 750 mm. Trim failures are more frequent
beneath dry cultivating conditions owing to prolonged dry spells amid the trim
periods. The growing season is less than 200 days. It is generally practiced in
parched districts of the country.
2)
Dryland cultivating
Cultivation of crops in zones receiving precipitation over
750 mm is known as dryland farming. Dry spell amid trim length happens, but
trim failures are less frequent. Semi-arid locales are included beneath this
category.
3)
Rainfed cultivating
It is the practice of crop cultivation without a water system
in regions accepting 1150 mm rainfall, generally in sub-humid and muggy ranges.
Here chances of trim failure and water stretch are exceptionally less.
Distribution
of Drylands
Our nation has prolific cultivable land and gets the most
elevated precipitation on per unit zone premise anywhere within the world due
to short term of precipitation in a year. One hundred and twenty-eight locales
in India have been recognized as dryland cultivating zones. Of these, 91
districts are spread within the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar
Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu, speaking to typical dry cultivating tracts. The rest
of the areas has a place to Central Rajasthan, Saurashtra locale of Gujarat,
and rain shadow locale of the Western Ghats.
India has almost 108 million hectares of the rainfed zone
which constitutes about 75% of the entire 143 million hectares of arable land.
In such areas trim production gets to be moderately troublesome because it
basically depends upon escalated and recurrence of precipitation. The crop
production, subsequently, in such regions is called rainfed cultivating as
there’s no facility to provide any water system, and indeed defensive or
life-sparing water system isn’t possible. Major dry cultivating crops are
millets such as jawar, bajra, ragi, oilseeds like mustard, rapeseed, and pulse
crops like pigeon pea, gram, and lentil. Nearly 80% of maize and Jwar, 90
percent of Bajraand roughly 95% of pulses, and 75% of oilseeds are gotten from
dryland agribusiness. In expansion to these, 70% of cotton is delivered through
dryland horticulture. Dryland regions too contribute altogether to wheat and
rice generation. Thirty-three percent of wheat and 66% of rice are still
rainfed.
Prospects
of Dryland Farming
1)
More than 75% of the laborers involved in dry
cultivating are small and marginal. Subsequently, advancement in dry
cultivating would raise the financial status of agriculturists in this way
making a difference in poverty end.
2)
Dryland cultivating holds colossal importance
particularly within the setting of fluctuating nourishment grain generation and
growing populace in our nation.
3)
The greatest employer in our nation, the cotton
plants are bolstered by crude cotton developed for the most part in dryland
zones. Expanding production of cotton hence leads to extend in exports of
cotton goods.
4)
The extending import of oilseeds may be a cause
of concern to the Indian nation. The advancement of the production of oilseeds
in these districts will spare valuable foreign trade reserves. By upgrading the
efficiency of crops like jawar, bajra, and ragi which are basically developed
in dryland cultivating would increment the supplement utilization levels of our
country.
5)
Marginal lands within the semi-arid districts
offer the potential for fodder generation to bolster the cattle populace which
is an indispensable component of the farming practice of this locale.
6)
Giving significance to these areas can unravel
the issues of pulses, oilseeds, and cotton. The dryland ranges have too huge
possibility of expanded food grain production. In this way, upgraded agrarian
production in these ranges would boost the agribusiness dependent economy of
India. In addition, it would moreover be accommodating in disposing of the
issue of starvation and malnutrition prevailed in below poverty line society of
the nation.
Constraints
of Dryland Farming
1)
In dryland ranges in common, the precipitation
is low and profoundly variable which results in uncertain trim yields. The
distribution of precipitation amid the trim period is uneven, receiving a high
sum of rain when it isn’t required and lack of it when crops require it.
2)
Generally, in dryland ranges when the storm sets
in late, the sowing of crops is deferred resulting in poor yields. At times,
the downpours may desist exceptionally early in season uncovering the crop to
dry season and amid blossoming and development stages which diminishes the trim
yields significantly.
3)
Soils of the drylands are not only dry but too
lack in macronutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous.
4)
The temperature in the dryland changes
significantly. Amid the period of dampness stress and dry season, the
temperatures accelerate the trim development resulting in constrained maturity.
Chilling or ice damage at blossoming results in a destitute grain setting and
deteriorates the grain quality.
Dryland
Farming Technology
1)
Convenient preliminary and seeding operations
including preservation of stored soil moisture.
2)
Conjunctive utilize of precipitation, surface,
and groundwater. The practice of drip water system to spare water.
3)
The lining of canals to minimize water loss.
4)
Agronomic practices like mixed cropping and crop
rotation which increase the yield of crops ought to be practiced.
5)
Alley cropping, pasture management, tree
cultivating, Silvi-pastoral management frameworks, and agro-horticultural
system which are more important to dryland circumstances need to be embraced
for effective dryland cultivating framework.
Final
Thoughts
Dryland zones constituting more than two-thirds of total
arable lands in India are the chief contributor of pulses, oilseeds, coarse
grain crops, and cotton. Drylands too contribute essentially to wheat and rice
generation. Hence, it is the need of the hour to receive and practice the
available dryland innovation to the most extreme degree for the upgrade of
agrarian production in these regions which would not only boost the nourishment
grain generation of the nation but would too improve the financial status of
agriculturists in these areas.